Being a football manager in top-flight competitions is probably one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, and if there’s one thing that could make it worse – it would be taking a position at your old club’s most hated rival.
With Steve Bruce recently taking the Newcastle job to the chagrin of Sunderland fans, now’s the time to take a look at past managers who’ve fallen into this sticky predicament.
Steve Bruce
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Part-time mystery novelist Steve Bruce won’t have any problems solving the case of the furious fans. The former centre-back spent six years at Birmingham City, leading them back to Premier League promotion and finishing above rivals Aston Villa. After a few stints at other clubs, Brucey returned to the Midlands, then in charge of the Villans (much to Birmingham fans anger), who he failed to lift out of mid-table obscurity in the Championship.
He was eventually sacked in October until the recent Newcastle announcement.
Brian Clough
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Step aside Fergie, because Brian Clough, self-described finest football manager in history, is here. Having worked miracles at both Derby and Forest, the maverick mastermind is remembered for his stunning achievements at the Rams where after three seasons he led them to promotion and oversee a title triumph for the side.
Then, to the dismay of Derby fans, the absolute legend would go on to work his magic at City Ground, taking the reigns to lead the Tricky Trees to their incredible run from Second Division all the way to the European Cup.
Jose Mourinho
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‘The Special One’ was always fated to manage two clubs that hated each other.
With Chelsea, the Portuguese star manager set a new Premier League points record and kick-started a new era for the club. Of course, as Chelsea can’t keep any coach for longer than 2 and a half years, he disappeared, only to reappear in charge of United.
While the rivalry between United and Chelsea is not as storied as some others, it wouldn’t be long before Chelsea fans started to experience a bit of pleasure at his expensive after his disastrous tenure at the Red Devils.
Sam Allardyce
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A fortnight into the Black Cats job, Big Sam had tripled their points total - which had stood at three after eight matches - and delivered a hugely satisfying 3-0 victory over his old employers, Newcastle.
While Sam’s time at Newcastle hadn’t been particularly enjoyable, he probably took great pleasure when a 3-0 victory for Sunderland over Everton confirmed Newcastle’s relegation and ensured that his men would stay out of the relegation zone.
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Owen Coyle
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Harshly named “Judas” after Coyle switched mid-season in 2009/10 from Burnley to intense rivals Bolton Wanderers, Coyle had a mountain of a task to maintain his reputation, especially considering it was Burnley’s debut season in the Premier League.
In an ironic twist of fate, Coyle’s Trotters team languished and were subsequently relegated, perhaps never to return to previous heights of first division football. I’m sure there are quite a few Burnley fans that feel such a fate is completely justified.
Massimiliano Allegri
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A war has raged for practically all of recorded football history between A.C Milan and Juventus. In recent years, Juventus have had a stranglehold on the league with league titles approaching an entire decade.
Remarkably, it was Allegri himself who led Milan to lift their last title in 2011 before subsequently moving to bitter rivals Juventus, who, have since created a massive gulf between the two teams. Although Milan fans can always take comfort in Juventus constant failure in the Champions League.
Ottmar Hitzfeld
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Hitzfeld really made his name with Dortmund where he spent six glorious seasons, delivering them the Champions League title in 1997 – along with a pair of Bundesliga triumphs.
It was then that Bayern poached the coach where he immediately revitalized the squad, earning nine different honors including another European Cup. I think that it’s quite understandable how a sizeable portion of Dortmund fans may have been a bit upset at der General about this.
In the end, top-flight football is risky business, between the teams and between the fans. With the new seasons rapidly approaching, we’re excited for even more drama. Make sure you bet on the upcoming EPL season, place your outrights or even bet on every league match live with Betway. You can even make some relegation bets if you think there’s a manager out there who you believe won’t be able to hack it in 2020.
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